9542 hardy souls braved The DW wind and rain to watch Latics staunch defence of the trophy they so gloriously won against City last season.
Wigan Athletic FA Cup winners 2013, I’ll never tire of that.
Anyhow in an end to end game with both keepers making excellent saves Wembley Watson opened the scoring with a superb team goal engineered down in front of The Springfield Stand.
Quick interchanging one twos, a lovely cross from James McClean and Ben didn’t have to break stride to beat Speroni’s athletic in vain dive to his left.
Supersub © Wilbraham scruffily equalised on 69 after a Stokesque corner produced panic in Wigan’s rearguard.
One of the main talking points was the sad sight of the stretcher being lugged across the turf after an heavy aerial clash with Callum McManaman, which eventually caused the stricken Norwegian to be stretchered off.
As the weather worsened along with Mike Jones decisions the media’s MoftheM James McClean scored with a bouncing bomb of a shot after seventy eight minutes had elapsed to secure a yakida away day.
Boycey was lucky to get away with the penalty issue right on full-time but it shouldn’t have mattered if McClean had passed to Powell who was all alone with a open goal gaping just as the fat lady was singing.
Uweview …..”It is fantastic to be in the last 16 and who knows what can happen if we get a good draw at home in the next round.
[ We now know it’s Cardiff City in the Principality ]
I think the win was deserved.
The players did a very good job against a strong Crystal Palace side.
In the first 10-15 minutes we looked a bit nervous but then Callum McManaman got on song and looked very good.
Both wide players [McManaman and James McClean] did very well.
We had a lot of opportunities to put the game to bed but we didn’t do that.
That’s why it was nervous near the end, although I’m not sure Palace should have had a penalty.”
Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi, Boyce, Watson, Barnett, Perch, Espinoza, McArthur (McCann 80), McManaman (Powell 74), McClean, Beausejour, Maynard (Fortune 74).
Unused subs: Nicholls, Crainey, Gomez, Redmond.
Crystal Palace: Speroni; Mariappa, McCarthy, Delaney, Parr (Moxey 45); Puncheon, O’Keefe, Guedioura, Bannan; Chamakh (Wilbraham 66), Jerome (Gayle 66).
Unused subs: Price, Campana, Boateng, Williams.
My Man of the Match – Ali Al Habsi
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